


How Does He Know?

by caputell



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: "poetry", M/M, Thallenweek2015, coffee shop AU, singing some enchanted lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 21:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4035076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caputell/pseuds/caputell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry had been visiting this coffee shop for a couple weeks now, never really drinking the coffee and only ever hoping to see that cute blonde barista. One day, Iris finds out this whole stalking thing Barry's been doing and gives him a little nudge to make a move. It just so happens to be poetry night and Barry had just had a Disney movie marathon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Does He Know?

**Author's Note:**

> For Thallen Week 2015 Day 5: Coffee Shop AU

It was strange how all his senses were sort of muted to everything else around him, but heightened when the cute blonde barista was nearby. Barry enjoyed it, though. He enjoyed noticing the scent of his deodorant when he walked by. He enjoyed hearing the sound of his voice when he’d ask if Barry wanted an extra shot of espresso in his coffee. Speaking of his which, he could feel it going cold.

“I knew I’d find you here!” Iris came up from behind Barry and scared the living crap out of him. At least she snapped him back into reality. “Seriously, I suggest this place _once_ and you’re back here like every day. C’mon it’s not like the coffee is _that_ good.”

“Oh it’s not that bad--i mean I like the ambiance,” he snuck a quick look at the blonde barista but Iris caught it in a heartbeat.

“Oh my god,” she stage-whispered, “Were you ever going to ask him out? Or were you planning on beating around the bush for another couple weeks?”

“I don’t know!” Barry blurted, “I don’t know, this kind of just happened..I didn’t really have a plan or anything.”

He had lowered his voice to a whisper, even though there was no way the blonde barista could have heard him. There was a girl onstage going on about a wheelbarrow, not to mention the loud snapping from the crowd that would occur periodically.

“Look,” she pointed to the stage, “It is poetry night. Maybe this is it! This is your opportunity to get him to notice you!”

“I don’t do grand gestures, Iris. Plus I don’t even know any poems...”

She pfft-ed, “Make something up! Recite some song lyrics--try not to sing them, though.”Iris nudged an elbow into Barry’s side. “Look, if you don’t do something now, you’ll probably never do it ever.”

The crowd erupted in snapping following the end of the wheelbarrow girl’s poem. The host went up to the mic to ask if anyone else had any poems they wanted to share. Taking a second to brainstorm what song he could recite, he picked one, took a deep breath and raised his hand in the air.

Everybody was staring at him as he walked up to the stage, but he only concentrated on the napkin he had grabbed to pretend like he was reading something.

The spotlight was too bright and he could feel himself starting to sweat. He could feel the dark crowd impatiently waiting on him. He could see the napkin trembling in his hands. But then his eyes met the blonde barista’s. And just like that, tuning out the rest of the world was easy. He couldn’t hear the deafening silence, he couldn’t feel the dozens of eyes staring up at him. All he saw was the blonde barista.

Nervous, but determined, he sharply inhaled through the nose as though oxygen were confidence. Barry smiled at the blonde barista and recited,

“I’ve been dreaming of a true love’s kiss...and a prince, I’m hoping, comes with this.”

The barista’s lips started to part slowly in realization.

“Oh god no,” Barry could barely hear Iris mutter in the back. His smile grew wider, feeding off of the reaction that he knew she’d have. This was so stupid, but he really hoped the barista was more of a James Marsden than a Patrick Dempsey. Yeah, Barry had watched the movie at least fifteen times.

Well, the barista wasn’t running or hiding. So far, so good. Barry continued, trying his hardest not to sing.

“You’re the fairest man I’ve ever met..”

He couldn’t hear her, but he could imagine Iris was whispering to herself, “No no no, he’s not reciting lyrics from Enchanted, Barry no”

“You were made--”

“--To finish your duet,” the blonde barista chimed in. He sang, actually, much to Barry’s delighted surprise--he hated just saying the lyrics to such an amazing song.

Everybody had turned to look between the blonde barista and Barry. Barry glanced over at Iris, who had both hands over her mouth, initially in secondhand embarrassment but now in shared surprise. He looked back at the barista and they smiled at each other, miraculously singing together,

“And in years to come we’ll reminisce...”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Iris buried her whole face in disbelief.


End file.
